Jessica Chastain speaks out after The Death and Life of John F. Donovan role is cut

Jessica Chastain has assured fans that her removal from upcoming film The Death And Life Of John F. Donovan was handled with “the upmost respect and love”.

Director Xavier Dolan revealed on Sunday (04Feb18) in an open letter to fans on Instagram that he would be cutting Jessica’s role from the movie because the storyline of her character Moira, who exposes the correspondence between a TV star and an 11-year-boy, no longer fitted the tone of the finished product.

Jessica has now taken to Instagram to share Xavier’s letter and assure her fans she has no hard feelings towards him.

“Don’t worry, I was informed in advance of this letter. This has been handled with the upmost respect and love. @xavierdolan – I am always impressed with your true committment (sic) to telling a story. To be an artist in each moment, you move beyond past ideas and expectations. I love you dearly and look forward to our future collaborations in life and art,” she wrote, followed by a heart emoji.

The French Canadian director, who is making his English-language debut with the drama, explained that the “extremely difficult decision” had to be made as the final edit came to four hours and he realised that the heart of the film had changed, which meant the storyline of Jessica’s character, a publisher of a gossip magazine, was out of place alongside the rest of the movie.

“It was an extremely difficult decision to make. I feel, toward Jessica, a very sincere love, and a great admiration,” he wrote. “The decision was editorial and narrative, in that it has nothing to do with a performance, and everything to do with a character, and the compatibility of its storyline.”

The film, which also stars Kit Harington, Susan Sarandon, Natalie Portman, and Thandie Newton, has no release date as yet.